Top social media platforms

Today’s world offers many social media platforms to choose from: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and more. During the Real Green Solutions 2018 conference in St. Petersburg, Florida, Jennifer Peitz and Tim Romisch of Real Green shared what they thought serve as the best social media platforms for green industry professionals.

“Social media takes time and energy,” Peitz said, who serves as the digital marketing manager at Real Green. “And you have to put it in to make it effective.”

Here are their top social media platform picks for the green industry:

1. Facebook. With over 2 billion social media users, your business has a great chance to thrive on Facebook. Peitz said creating a business page on Facebook comes with features like an option to get reviews from customers.

“Don’t be afraid of bad reviews,” she said. “Turn (the review function) on.”

Peitz said Facebook is also being used as a search function for users to find more information on companies and businesses.

“Using Facebook allows you to have a dialogue with your customers,” she said. She also recommends companies post to Facebook two or three times a day on average. Popular and engaging posts include community involvement, employee bios and welcomes.

2. YouTube. “Every lawn company should be on YouTube,” Peitz said. “It’s the second biggest social media platform.”

Her tips for posting videos include focusing each video on one topic at a time. If the video is more focused, it will be easier to find content.

How-to videos are a popular topic, although it may seem counterintuitive to broadcast how to perform the services your company provides. However, Peitz said those with the DIY attitude won’t be calling for your services anyway, so this shouldn’t be a concern.

Your videos have the chance to drive ROI as well.

“Get sales from your videos,” Peitz said. “Send them to your site and put a call to action at the end of every video.” YouTube has a function that creates a clickable link at the end of videos.

Much like Facebook reviews, make sure to turn the comments on when using YouTube for your business. Remember, more engagement will get you higher rankings.

3. Instagram. “Instagram is not used to connect with your customers,” she said. “It is used for authority among your peers."

To use Instagram successfully, Peitz recommended filling out the bio section of your profile and making your account public. Adding a link to your website in your bio will draw traffic, along with contact information.

“Save the selfies for your personal account,” Peitz said. “Use this to showcase your work and recruit employees.”

Peitz has a different view on using Twitter in the green industry. She said if a business wants to use it, they should check out competitor pages and try to find out what type of audience they have on Twitter.

Through the arrangement, Carswell and Carswell OEI will provide distribution, logistics, service and sales support for both Greenworks Commercial’s 82-Volt line of tools and the Greenworks Elite 40-Volt line of tools, among independent dealers in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

For 70 years, Carswell Distributing Company has served dealers in its region, supplying lawn and garden equipment, service and support. With the addition of the Greenworks Commercial and Greenworks Elite lines to its portfolio, Carswell will now offer dealers a broad line of lithium-ion, battery-powered outdoor equipment, including stand-on and ride-on commercial grade zero-turn mowers later this year.

“Greenworks Commercial is not a niche company in the sense that it truly has an outdoor power equipment solution for everyone that shops in the independent dealer channel,” said Will Parsley, president of Carswell Distributing Company. “The 82-Volt product is second-to-none in terms of power, run-time and durability, allowing landscape and turf management professionals to get the job done in a greener way.”

A comprehensive offering of Greenworks Commercial and Greenworks Elite tools will be available through Carswell and Carswell OEI dealer networks beginning the first quarter of 2018. More information can be found here.

Ruppert expands in Virginia and names new branch manager

Laytonsville, MD – Ruppert Landscape expanded its Virginia landscape management operations to include a new branch in southern Richmond, Virginia. This branch joins four existing landscape management branch offices in Virginia located in northern Richmond, Gainesville, Alexandria and Fredericksburg.

With the expansion, Dave Sharry has been promoted to serve as branch manager in southern Richmond.

“Dave’s work and performance was a major factor in Richmond’s growth and our ability to create the opportunity to split the existing Richmond branch into two,” said region vice president Fred Key. “This branch split, which geographically will occur north and south of the James River, will help accommodate the regional growth occurring in Richmond and enable us to better serve our customers.”

Sharry has more than 26 years of green industry experience and is a Marine Reserve veteran. He joined the company in 2011 as an area manager at a time when Richmond operations were just getting off the ground, and he has since been instrumental in the growth of the Richmond branch.

As a branch manager, he will be responsible for the overall welfare of the branch, including the safety and development of his team, strategic planning and budgeting, training and day-to-day operations.

Lush Lawn opens fourth branch office

Rochester Hills, MI – Lush Lawn & Safari Tree, a lawn, tree and pest control provider in southeastern Michigan, is expanding and opening a new branch location in Plymouth, Michigan. The building will offer customers a local team to provide all their lawn, tree and pest control services.

“Along with the new year, I am looking forward to the new branch location that will expand our services into Plymouth, furthering our reach and ability to continue in servicing the local communities in southeastern Michigan,” said Aaron Samson, CEO of Lush Lawn. “As our ultimate goal is delivering and creating the best customer experience, by opening a new location in Plymouth, will provide us the necessary staff and resources to ensure that all of our customers will receive the attention and care they deserve.”

Lush Lawn also opened locations in Brighton and Rochester Hills, Michigan, in the last five years. Altogether, the company has four locations, including Grand Blanc, the original location where the company started in 2004.

MGIX 18 takes place next week

Columbus, OH – The Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association’s (ONLA) regional conference, Midwest Green Industry Experience (MGIX), takes place Jan. 15-17 in Columbus, Ohio. The conference features three days of education sessions that will help green industry professionals get inspired, stay certified and make smarter business decisions in 2018. The education lineup spans a variety of topics, from business and marketing best practices to design, irrigation and lighting trends.

Business owners will find beneficial sessions on employment and labor issues, such as Marty Grunder’s “Attain, Train, Retain and Entertain a Modern Day Green Industry Workforce” on Jan. 15. Other sessions focus on building effective business and marketing plans, like Jeffrey Scott’s “Nine Proven Profit Strategies for Tree, Lawn and Landscape Contractors” on Jan. 16 and Anne Obarski’s session for retailers, “If the Shoe Fits: How to Brand Your Customer’s Journey with You” on Jan. 17.

Other green industry professionals may prefer the practical knowledge gained in courses on pruning, planting, maintenance, identifying weeds and planning pest management strategies. Educators from The Ohio State University lead 24 sessions focused on horticulture, pests, diseases and industry research.

Education highlights for landscape designers include Klyn Nurseries’ Bill Hendricks’ “Making Plants Work for You: The Challenge of Hedges, Screens and Slopes” as well as Bobbie Schwartz’s “Log Cabin or Taj Mahal? Are You Really Listening?”

Outside of the traditional classroom, demonstrations on climbing techniques and arboriculture practices are offered in Climbers’ Corner in the exhibit hall.

Along with education sessions, green industry professionals can discover new products by meeting with the 230 vendors in MGIX exhibit hall. Exhibiting companies comprise green and hard goods distributors, equipment dealers, business service providers, and technology and software companies. A new product showcase and a Feature Stage hosting product demonstrations and free educational presentations are also located on the trade show floor.

Special events include an opening night party and ONLA’s annual awards ceremony at 7 p.m. on Jan. 14. ONLA’s annual business meeting also takes place at 2 p.m. on Jan. 15 and includes a State of the Industry report by Craig Regelbrugge of AmericanHort.

There are several registration options available. Those interested in attending can still register online by clicking here.